Council awards Convention Center custodial contract to Pettus after contested hearing; opponents cite procurement and living‑wage concerns

The Los Angeles City Council approved the personnel committee’s recommendation to award the Los Angeles Convention Center custodial services contract to Pettus Building Services after a public hearing that featured competing testimony from the incumbent contractor and labor advocates.

The council approved the award on a roll call, 11 ayes to 2 noes. Opponents argued the procurement process disadvantaged the incumbent, Expert Development Services, and raised concerns about living‑wage compliance and contract scoring. Supporters of Pettus emphasized its experience with large facilities and a collective bargaining arrangement that would provide a living wage and benefits for workers.

What the council decided The Council adopted the personnel committee recommendation to award the custodial contract to Pettus Building Services. The committee had considered procurement materials and supplemental briefings and heard testimony from both the incumbent and the recommended contractor.

Contested points at the hearing - Incumbent concerns: Representatives for Expert Development Services said the company had provided decades of service at the Convention Center and presented letters of appreciation from building management. Expert’s counsel and consultant said the evaluation process was “tainted” because Pettus received higher interview scores despite Expert’s prior favorable performance and argued the procurement did not compare equipment lists and other specifics consistently. - Living‑wage and compliance: Council members heard conflicting statements on whether the incumbent was paying the adopted living wage. Department staff said the incumbent had been notified about living‑wage compliance and that the department was working to resolve administrative notification issues; the incumbent’s representative said they corrected wages once notified. - Cost differential: Debate over bid costs featured differing figures during the hearing. The department explained the recommended contractor’s bid exceeded the incumbent’s by roughly $375,000 over three years (department estimate); opponents cited a larger number in public comments. Councilmembers noted that lowest price does not necessarily yield lowest life‑cycle or program costs and pointed to risk and performance factors.

Labor and contractor testimony Pettus representatives said the company has experience cleaning high‑traffic facilities including airport terminals and major hospitals, and it is signatory to a local SEIU master agreement that would provide wage and benefit protections for employees. SEIU Local 18 77 representatives supported Pettus, saying the agreement would secure wages, health care and pension benefits and provide grievance procedures.

Council response and vote Personnel committee chair Councilmember (name on record) presented the committee report and a motion to adopt the recommendation; the council voted 11‑2 to approve the award. Councilmember comments indicated concern about scrutiny of procurement but ultimately acceptance of the committee and staff evaluation and the offered labor protections.

Quote "Pettus prides itself in providing superior service at a fair price, while adhering to the highest ethical and legal standards," a Pettus representative told the council during the hearing.

Clarifying details - Procurement staff reported the bid differential between the top proposers was roughly $375,000 over three years (department figure); opponents cited a larger figure in oral remarks. - Department staff reported verifying Pettus’s references and experience at large facilities (examples cited: airport terminals and county hospitals). - Living‑wage compliance: department staff said they had notified the incumbent of a living‑wage concern and that Expert Development has since adjusted wages in response to the notice (incumbent disputed timing of notification).

Next steps The contract award was approved and the council instructed the bureau to implement the award consistent with contract and living‑wage rules. Personnel committee and department staff said they would develop a protocol with labor for future procurement clarity.

Speakers - Charles Chung / Expert Development Services — incumbent contractor president (business) [first reference: 9851.375] - David Cunningham — representative for Expert Development Services (consultant/advocate) [first reference: 9862.381] - John Smitsack — Clean Source (supplier/distributor) (business) [first reference: 10231.195] - Pettus representative — (name not specified in transcript) — Pettus Building Services (recommended contractor) (business) [first reference: 10385.89] - Byron Moret — SEIU Local 18 77 (labor) (union) [first reference: 10467.05] - Noel Williams — senior management analyst (department staff) (government) [first reference: 11976.605]

Authorities - procurement: City procurement/RFP process and personnel committee review (referenced_by:["actions"])

Actions - motion: "Approve award of the Convention Center custodial services contract to Pettus Building Services per personnel committee recommendation." mover: Personnel committee (moved in council by Councilmember present in committee) second: not specified vote_record: [{"tally":{"yes":11,"no":2}}] outcome: "approved" notes: "Council accepted personnel committee recommendation after public hearing; committee also requested protocol development with union and bureau to avoid future disputes."

Clarifying_details:[{"category":"bid_differential","detail":"Department reported recommended bidder exceeded incumbent by roughly $375,000 over three years; opponents cited larger numbers in oral remarks","value":375000,"units":"USD","approximate":true,"source_speaker":"Noel Williams"},{"category":"living_wage_compliance","detail":"Department notified incumbent of living wage issue and reported subsequent wage adjustments; incumbent said notification timing created confusion","source_speaker":"Noel Williams"}]

proper_names:[{"name":"Los Angeles Convention Center","type":"facility"},{"name":"Pettus Building Services","type":"business"},{"name":"Expert Development Services","type":"business"},{"name":"SEIU Local 18 77","type":"organization"}]

provenance:{"transcript_segments":[{"block_id":"9744.931","local_start":0,"local_end":83,"evidence_excerpt":"George Reyk as a convention center. We're requesting approval of, the, item 1 1 36, I believe, in regards to the, what is it? The exemption from city service, I'm sorry, for city employees. We are requesting approval of the custodial service contract that was awarded to Pettus Building Services...","reason_code":"topicintro"},{"block_id":"12249.71","local_start":0,"local_end":36,"evidence_excerpt":"11 ayes, 2 nos.","reason_code":"topicfinish"}]}

topics:[{"name":"contracts-convention-center","justification":"Primary topic: contested award of a major custodial contract and public testimony about procurement, living wage, and labor protections.","scoring":{"topic_relevance":1.00,"depth_score":0.85,"opinionatedness":0.10,"controversy":0.85,"civic_salience":0.60,"impactfulness":0.55,"geo_relevance":1.00}}],

searchable_tags:["convention-center","custodial-contract","procurement","living-wage","Pettus","Expert-Development"]